DPW Chair Ben Wikler Statement on the 84th Anniversary of Social Security

DPW Chair Ben Wikler Statement on the 84th Anniversary of Social Security

(MADISON, WI) — Today, on the 84th Anniversary of Social Security being signed into law, Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler released the following statement:

“In President Trump’s 2020 budget he proposed slashing $26 billion from Social Security programs, breaking a covenant with older Americans who have been paying into this program since the time they could pay taxes. This is a betrayal to them and the very idea that you should be able to retire with dignity and live free of poverty. 

“Trump is Social Security’s number one threat, as he broke yet another promise he made on the campaign trail. In 2016, he stood in front of a crowd in Appleton and declared that he was going to ‘save your social security,’ that his opponents wanted ‘cut the hell out of it,’ and that he ‘wouldn’t do that.’

“Whether it’s Social Security, Medicare, or the Affordable Care Act, Donald Trump has been hellbent on gutting these programs to make life harder for Wisconsinites everywhere, including those who voted for him. And he does this knowing full well that Social Security reduces poverty — without Social Security 40% of Americans 65 years and older would live below the federal poverty line.

“That’s why Democrats are fighting for seniors. We refuse to go back in time to when growing older meant having to fight for scraps just to get by. We believe that after a life of hard work you should be able to live a healthy and happy life.”
 

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